NFL ready for another blockbuster year on TV

A record-breaking Super Bowl and having the No. 1 show in prime time has made the NFL the king of television.

September 05, 2012|Keith Groller

The NFL is back and you can hear cash registers ringing throughout TV land.

That's because the NFL means business. Big business.

After a record-breaking season for viewership, culminating with Super Bowl XLVI being the most-watched program in the history of American television (111.3 million viewers), the NFL is back again to assert its dominance as our most popular sport.

Sunday Night Football on NBC was the No. 1 show in prime time, beating the seven-year run of "American Idol" in the top spot with an average of 20.7 million viewers.

There's no reason to think that Sunday Night Football, which actually begins Wednesday night with the Cowboys-Giants game at the Meadowlands, will lose any momentum in 2012 because, evidently, not just guys watch the games anymore.

"Last year, we culminated with a record-setting Super Bowl, and that doesn't just happen by bringing in core football fans," NBC Sports group Chairman Mark Lazarus said last week in a teleconference.

"We have attracted men, women and children. And that doesn't happen without incredible preparation and skill of all the people in front of and behind the camera here at NBC Sports. We are inclusive of every demographic — men, women and children — and make the game acceptable for everyone, and I think that's a big part of our ratings success."

Al Michaels, beginning his 27th season as the premiere prime time voice of NFL football, said: "We cut across all demographic lines. We have a big tent and invite everybody into it. This is not for football fans only. Of course, we're going to do justice to them, but we also like to tell the stories that will make even people who are very, very casual followers of football more interested in the game itself."

No one can exactly pinpoint how, why or when pro football became king. Gambling and the sheer violence of the sport are certainly part of it, and the world has become such a busy place that football is the only sport that allows you time to clear your schedule for one day a week and 31/2 hours of action as opposed to baseball, ice hockey and basketball (NCAA and NBA), which seem to have endless games.

But no one can argue that football is king and the Sunday night game has replaced Monday night as the must-watch and most-watched time frame. The NFL seems to want it that way, too, because NBC gets the best matchups — witness Cowboys vs. Giants in the season opener.

"If the Cowboys play the Giants in a parking lot in March, it's still going to be tremendous," Michaels said. "Fooball is king right now. The NFL is hotter than any sport than any time in the history of this country.

"The way football's evolved, the NFL in particular, it's just so exciting. It never gets old. It never gets boring. This is not scripted television. You don't know what the ending's going to be. Every time I show up, I'm excited because of the drama. … It's just wonderful. It's reality television."

There are a few changes this year, notably the Thursday night games will begin immediately leading into Week 2 with the Bears and Packers on The NFL Network.

That means that throughout the season, you will never have to go more than two consecutive days without getting to see an NFL game.

When it comes to Thanksgiving, NBC will have the prime time game (not The NFL Network) to join CBS and Fox. NBC will help you digest your turkey with the Pats and Jets after the Lions and Cowboys keep their traditional early and late-afternoon slots.

Also, many of the late games, if part of national doubleheader packages, will start a little later at 4:25 to reduce the overlap with the completion of Game 1 of the doubleheaders.

There is just one Saturday regular-season game — Dec. 22 between the Falcons and Lions on ESPN.

More changes include Robert Riggle replacing Frank Caliendo on the Fox pregame show, former Rams coach Mike Martz becoming one of Fox's game analysts, Ron Jaworski exiting to leave Jon Gruden as the only analyst on ESPN's "Monday Night Football," Warren Sapp getting fired (but not replaced) from Showtime's "Inside the NFL" and the entry of many NFL shows on the NBC and CBS sports networks and other platforms.

Did you know?

Three former Eagles will become regulars on Comcast SportsNet Eagles coverage this season. Leonard Weaver will appear on "Eagles Pregame Live," Ike Reese will join Ray Didinger and Ed Rendell on "Eagles Postgame Live" and the recently retired Brian Westbrook will co-host "Eagles Extra" with Ron Burke and will appear every Monday on "Daily News Live."

Howard Eskin began his new gig as the sports anchor at Fox29 on Tuesday. Eskin will also host Fox 29's "Sports Sunday" and "Game Day Live."

Eskin will be missed on NBC10's "Sports Final" show, seen at 11:30 on Sunday nights, where he had developed an entertaining chemistry with John Clark. The two often had different opinions and perspectives and were not afraid to go at it. Expect to see plenty of Eskin's longtime radio rival, Mike Missanelli, on "Sports Final."

KEITH'S CAN'T MISS

Is this, finally, their year? That's what Eagles fans want to know. The Birds open the season in Cleveland at 1 p.m. Sunday on Fox. Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick and Laura Okmin have the call.